Marcus Troy poses for the camera in a striped shirt, a dark fedora tilted back, his eyes hidden in shadow. "So many brands want to 'work' with you until you give them a proposal," he writes in the Instagram photo's caption. "And they suddenly realize that you're a business and not just a cool guy."
It's an easy mistake to make. Troy and his peers – including similarly marketing-savvy millennials such as Alexander Kenton Liang, Daniel Ocean and Dustin Carrington – are all influential guys (as evidenced by the thousands of followers who scroll through their professional-quality photos of stylish clothes, expensive cars and exotic locales), but as more brands seek to court men via social media, that cachet has a price tag.
"I wear many different hats," says Troy, for whom this is true literally and figuratively. Troy launched his eponymous brand in Montreal in 2008 and has since built both a robust social media following and a company that specializes in monetizing it. Aside from his posts of handsomely shot products (some of which have been paid for, some not, Troy says) he also runs a lifestyle blog, produces promotional videos and shoots ad campaigns. "I try to do cool things with cool people," he says of his job.
Male-targeted brands are increasingly looking for new ways to gain a leg up in a crowded market, and are turning to influencers such as Troy for help. "Many men, especially young ones, are following some of those influencers," says Barbara Diecker, communications manager for Gillette.
The global grooming brand recently launched a subscription-based razor service with the help of social media endorsements. "[Influencers] have the ability to show a Gillette product or initiative in a different light…or provide first-hand reviews of a product's performance, which may inspire guys to try it for themselves."
Not all brands are convinced these guys can attract male eyeballs. For Montreal-based accessories label Want Les Essentiels, likes don't always equal dollars. "Sometimes [a social media post] translates into sales and other times the benefits are less tangible," says co-founder Dexter Peart over email. Byron Peart, the company's other co-founder says: "One thing we know for sure is that the consumer is very intelligent and when something looks paid or contrived they can spot it immediately."
With consumers more educated about pay-to-play content, a bro-fluencer's ability to authentically channel coolness has never been more valuable.